Holiday Day Four - Stockholm

Hi Everybody,

Today we have arrived in Stockholm and again another city steeped in history, and another very beautiful place to visit.

It has another palace that you could get close to but it also had the guards outside to keep their eye on you

We went inside this palace but it was a very dark place with most of the curtains drawn against the sunlight and so it was very difficult to take photos and most of them are blurred.

However these are some scenes that I managed to capture inside

This beautiful chandelier was enormous and was only one of many.

But even with the lighting you can see that it was very dark inside.

This statue was at the bottom of one of the staircases and it was very impressive.

It is two lovers kissing and both of them have open eyes.

It was getting near the time for the changing of the guard as we came back into the sunshine and so we found a strategic position to be able to see the parade.

The band played as they approached the palace and it was quite loud as they passed close by.

We couldn't get into the square to see the actual change as it was time for us to head off for lunch at a nearby restaurant as part of our tour.

We had a typically Swedish lunch overlooking this busting square and it was very tasty too I might add.

All too soon it is time to head back to the ship as we sail again at 5pm. 

The sun is shining and the sea is calm and we head off to the Crows Nest for a sail away drink with some new friends we have made

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Holiday Day Two - Copenhagen

Hi Everybody,

Day Two of the cruise saw us visiting Copenhagen and of course everyone wants to see the Little Mermaid and it is not as big as I imagined it to be.

The Little Mermaid was made famous in the story by Hans Christian Anderson. She meets the prince and falls in love and she asks to be made human so that she can marry him.

But the deal is that she loses her tail and her voice. and if the prince doesn't marry her she will become the white tops to the waves.

Well she finds her prince and of course without the tail he does not recognise her ... and without the voice she cannot tell him who she really is and he marries someone else

So fickle these princes and she poor girl ... becomes the white foam on the waves.

From there we went into the city and there are bicycles everywhere and there are designated cycle routes for them to get about.

A really healthy way to go about your daily life

 We passed the entrance to the Tivoli Gardens but this was not on the guided tour we had chosen and so we did not go inside.

Our guide told us that there are big wind turbines in the harbour that create the electricity to power the lights and rides in this huge pleasure park

It was opened in 1843 and covers a huge area and is used for concerts and theatre shows as well as the rides and the gardens that are lit up at night.

This is the entrance to the Carlsberg Brewery and we went on a tour here  and this is the place that we where staying for lunch ...along with a free glass of Carlsberg larger

Sorry Mr Carlsberg ... not a fan ... rather have a glass of red wine any day !!

These elephants are life size and very impressive as you drive through them.

Later we walked around a very old part of the city with these wonderful quaint houses and the Hollyhocks where everywhere


This is another beautiful fountain and we saw many on out trip.

The sound of the water on a hot day is very refreshing and we sat and listened for a little while.

We walked in to a large square and our guide told us that the buildings around us are the Royal Palaces

It was amazing to see that you are so close to them  as you would never get that close to Buckingham Palace.

And the palace guards will talk to you and have their photos taken too.

One lady got a little to close to the windows of the palace and the guard shouted "Hey" at her and gestured for her to get away ... which she did very quickly.

Each of the palaces is situated in this square and if they wish to go from one to the other then Royalty have to walk across the square to get there.

We had a very pleasant canal cruise in the sunshine and then it was time to head back for the ship.

On the way we passed this beautiful church and the spire is covered in gold leaf.

The staircase on the outside of the spire is there for you to walk up and many people are on the way up to the top.

So Day Three is a sea day and we have the chance to relax.

We are off to the Spa on board for a little pampering time for both of us.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Holiday Day One - Oslo

Hi Everybody,

So here we are back at home and trying hard to catch up with everything that has piled up while I have been away.

We have had the most wonderful holiday and now it's time to get back to work.

But first I would like to share with you some of the photos that we took as we visited eight different countries.

We sailed from Southampton on the 29th July aboard Arcadia bound for the Baltics and although it was cloudy it was relatively calm.

We had a good look around the ship before it got too busy and altogether there were about 2900 passengers and 660 crew.

The next day it was fine all morning but in the afternoon it became windy and rougher and I spent about 18 hours in my cabin ... horizontal and so seasick.  I didn't have the inclination to go the formal evening and I certainly couldn't face eating and the travel sickness pills didn't work either.

But the next morning I was fine and ready for breakfast.  Please don't let that put you off cruising ... just buy stronger travel sick pills! Griff was fine and no sickness at all it's just me ... I am a wimp !!

The first stop was in Norway and we went on a trip to Oslo.  This is the huge Ski Jump at a place called Holmenkollen and obviously in the winter it is covered in snow.

But the day we visited people where coming down from the top on zip wires and it looked really scary

This is the top most section of the jump that you can see sticking up on the top photo and it was along way down.

The view from the top of the mountain was lovely though and worth the journey up and our guide told us that the price of the houses up there is astronomical.

Winter for them is from about the end of September until the following May so a long time to be cold.

Luckily for us the day was fine, warm and sunny and Oslo is quite a pretty, bustling place to visit

Would you want to launch yourself off the top of that and then literally fly through the air on skis ?? No .. me neither!!

This is a statue of Gustav Vigeland who created the most beautiful Sculpture park for you to wander through.

There are flowers everywhere and the smell of roses filled the air. It was a very warm and of course that accentuated the aroma even more

In the centre of the park there is a tall statue that represents the stages of life from birth to death.

The figures on the column are all intertwined and it is really very moving to see.

The central column is surrounded by more figures, kneeling, lying, standing and they are huge and carved from stone.

They show babies, children, parenthood, some are sorrowful,
one shows old people in various stages of their lives

As you walk down this wide stone stairway it leads you to a large fountain that is again surround by carved figures.

Our guide told us that each of the figures tells the story of of the sculptures life and the stages he went through as he grew old.

Altogether a very pleasant day in a lovely city and then it was back on board for the sail away and headed for Denmark and the second city on our cruise.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Mystical Embrace

Hi Everybody,

This pretty card is a 5x7 size and there are lots of layers to it.

It has been created with the several dies from Spellbinders and they will be listed below.

I have used a vibrant shade of blue and dotted it with sequins

You could miss off the frilly bits and have a lovely male card to send out for any occasion.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-012 5x7 Mystical Embrace
• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• S4-541 Majestic Oval
• Garden Lattice A4 embossing folder (Retired)
• Labels Twenty Three (Retired)

Other Supplies:

• Ribbon from Mei Flower
• Pearl flower from Wild Orchid Crafts

Instructions:

With  die #7 from Matting Basics A cut two pieces in white and hinge together to form the base card and leave to one side for the moment.  (Please remember that #1 is always the smallest die)

With #7 from Matting Basics B cut a colored layer. With #6 from Matting Basics A cut another white layer and emboss with any folder that you have.  Glue these two pieces together

From Mystical Embrace #3 cut one panel and ink  lightly through the die before removing the card

Add foam tape to the back so that it doesn't show through from the front and layer it onto the embossed panel from the previous step. Wrap some ribbon around these layers and add them to the base card

With dies #2 cut one panel in white and with #3 cut another in blue. Stamp and emboss a sentiment and then cut with Labels Twenty Three to fit the words you have used.

Use foam pads to stack these on top of each other and then add them to the base card

Glue in your tied bow and dot with sequins for a glittery effect and add the pearl flower to the bow to cover the knot.

Lining the inside of the card to compliment the front will give it a really neat professional finish

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

The Journey so Far ...

Hi Everybody,

I have managed to find another of those WiFi hotspots and so I am letting you know where we are in the world today.

I have so many lovely photos to show you once I get home again.  Early yesterday morning we sailed into Warnemunde in Germany and the view from our balcony was beautiful. I am not able to add the photos to a blog post from my iPad but they are collecting so that I can show you later.

This has been a lovely holiday and we have seen some wonderful scenery. We chose to dine on a table for six and so we have also met some very pleasant people.

If you have been a reader for sometime you may remember that we cruised a couple of years ago on a really enormous ship. This one is about half the size of that one .... but still quite big at about 87,000 tons.

I will give you all the details once I can add the photos so until then I hope you will stay with me and enjoy the Tuesday Tutorial I have scheduled for you for tomorrow.

Hugs xx

We Are Special ...

Hi Everybody,

This is another scheduled post for you to see and it is one I colored with Spectrum Noir pens

The image is one I have had for sometime and it is off the CD "The Next Big Thing"  ... which sadly is no longer available

For this I have the simply folded A4 card in half with the card fold at the top

I have matted and layered it with a pale blue stripe card from AnnaMarie Designs  This card comes in lots of other lovely colors and there is a Spotty variety too  

The satin ribbon is from Mei Flower  and it ties into a beautiful bow.  The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley and is one of several on the sheet. The flowers are sparkled with glitter from Glitter Magic

If you visit regularly you will know that my flowers and the bow centre are always from Wild Orchid Crafts and I know that many of you have become WOC converts. I choose these because I love the variety and quality of the blooms.

These are quality UK companies that I use on a regular basis.  I like their goods and I like to tell you about their services. Click their links to view the products for yourself.

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Victorian Fan

Hi Everybody,

Todays Tutorial uses the Victorian Fan from Spellbinders and is part of their Victorian 2.0 Collection.

It is a free cutting die that removes the shape from your card and of course there is nothing to stop you cutting it to add more to the fan size.

I have used lots of foam tape to add dimension and that allows you to see through the fan and gives shadows to the card itself


Spellbinders Supplies:

• S3-218 Victorian Fan
• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• S2-139 Sentiments Three
• GC-200 Grand Calibur

Other Supplies:

• Organza Ribbon from Mei Flower
• Lace from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Self adhesive Pearls from Want2Scrap

Instructions:

Please remember that die #1 (Number One) is always the smallest

With die #7 from 5x7 Matting Basics A cut two in white and hinge together to create your base card
With die #7 from 5x7 Matting Basics B cut one in blue
With die #6 from 5x7 Matting Basics A cut another panel in white and this is the layer we are going to emboss

Using the embossing sandwich for the Grand Calibur carefully emboss the card twice with the Victorian Fan die.  This will leave a matching pattern in your card and add interest to the background

Cut the fan shape out twice in blue and ink the card through the die to accentuate the pattern.
Add foam pads to the back of the solid areas so that they cannot be seen from the front

 Add both shapes to the embossed panel so that they just touch in the centre. Then add this to the blue layer we cut earlier.

Wrap ribbon and lace around these layers to hide the join and then add this to the base card

 Cut your sentiment in blue and add it to the card.  Adhere the bow onto the lace and ribbon and add in a lovely sparkly centre to hide the knot.

Designers Tip:

Vary the color for a lighter look and add pearls to the fan for extra effect.

Use some flowers to dress it up more or leave off the ribbon and lace for a more masculine fell to the card.

The choices are all yours to create this really pretty card

 More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Stockholm ...

Hi Everybody,

A little note to let you all know where I am.   We have found a little spot in Stockholm with FREE WiFi and so this is the ideal opportunity to write a quick blog post.

The cruise is going really well and so far we have visited Norway, Denmark and today we are in Sweden.  All the cities we have visited so far have been really beautiful and I have taken photos of many things.  

We sail again at 4.30 pm heading for Estonia. But the highlight for me is Russia when we have two days in St Petersburg.  I will be sure to take many more photos to show you.

But I cannot add them to the blog yet .... that will happen when I get home.  Thanks for all you messages. I am adding them when I can but as you can imagine WiFi  on the ship is expensive. So until we find another free spot that's it for now.

                Hugs xx

Water colored Card ...

Hi Everybody,

So this little card is for all of  YOU to say many many Thanks for all your support.

From the cards that I make and the tutorials that I do you all seem to enjoy them and write to tell me often that you do

And also when ever I am on Create and Craft I know that many of you are there for me too.

I have really enjoyed setting up Tuesday Tutorials  and this is something else that you seem to enjoy. I have lots more to show you over the coming months

Many people are asking me for specific tutorials and I am happy to oblige.

But they may take me a little time to complete so I ask for your patience as I work my way through the list.

So please keep visiting and thanks again for all your good wishes.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

"YOU" card .....

Hi Everybody,

One of the dies that I use a lot from Spellbinders is the word YOU

This simple die can be teamed up with so many stamps to say just about anything that you like

I like to cut the word from Craft foam and then add it to the word cut again in card that matches my design.

It really makes a statement piece on your creations and is very tactile for the recipient.

Here I have just used a matt black card and black craft foam

The background to my card is created with the  Criss Cross  pattern

I have added in raised panels at the top and bottom using the Curved Borders One 

My beautiful flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and are a mixture of Gysophillia, Roses, Camellia, small buds and some Cherry blossoms

I have also added in some long curly stems to the display and used both blue and white flowers

The steel Gray pearls are from Want2Scrap  and the butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch called Monarch

The stamp set I have used is  Simply Said - You   from Avery Elle and there are lots of sentiments on the sheet making it a very useful addition to my "Stash"

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Using the waste

Hi Everybody,

This is the Grate Effect die that I have used many times and it you can create some lovely cards with the whole pattern

Way back in March I showed you  Embossing with dies  using this same die to push the pattern into your card without cutting it.

But for todays tutorial I am going to show you how to use the bits that would normally been thrown away and we will create a really sparkly card with some glitter

It is going to be photo heavy so my apologies for that before I start.


Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-022 Grate Effect
• S4-116 Classic Circles
• S4-125 Classic Scalloped Circles 

Other Supplies:

• Wild Orchid Crafts flowers
• Want2Scrap Pearls
• Mei Flower Satin Ribbon
• Glitter Magic Sand Gold Glitter

Instructions:

With the outside edge to this die cut two panels in white card and hinge them together to form your base 

Then with a piece of double sided adhesive sheet cut another one and leave it to one side for now.

With both parts to the die and another piece of white card cut out the whole die and emboss.

Then very carefully you are going to remove the card from the die so that all the waste pieces remain in the slots

Keep the full piece for another project and make sure that all the small waste bits are seated into the die.

Peel the backing off one side of the double sided adhesive sheet and place it on to the waste pieces

Make sure to press it down onto them so that they are all caught onto the adhesive.

Then again being very careful ... lift the adhesive sheet with all of these pieces stuck to it away from the die.

With the glitter of your choice you can now spread it over the top of the panel and press it in to the glue with your fingers.

Make sure that it is all covered and then dust off the excess glitter and return it to its container.

Once the glitter is on the panel I like to remove the backing off the other side of the adhesive sheet and layer the glittered panel on to some white card.

Then I can trim it down to the size I want for the base card I made earlier.

I also layer it again onto some gold card leaving a small border around the edge

Wrap these panels with some white ribbon and stamp and emboss your sentiment

Cut it out with the Circle die that fits your chosen sentiment and layer it with the Scalloped Circle. Scatter with a few pearls

Add in the flowers of your choice and there you have a lovely card and no waste at all from your die

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card winner is ...

Hi Everybody,

Up bright and early this morning and have lots to do before the holiday. We are going on a cruise to the Baltics and because my "Film Crew" has been so good ... I am taking him along too.  I am really looking forward to this cruise and it is a fantastic way to take a holiday.

Once you have unpacked everything is with you,  in one place and each day you wake up in a different country. With new tastes, sounds, smells  and sights to experience.  We will visit nine countries as we sail and get the chance to visit them if only for a short time

We will be taking lots of photos and I will share them all as soon as I can.  So the blog posts will be a little sporadic over the next few weeks.  I have set up some to go out automatically and I have scheduled the Tuesday Tutorials ... just to keep you busy while I am away.

But the draw has been done and the name pulled from the hat today to win the pretty pink card is ...

E Michaels ...

Can you send me your postal address please to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

so that I can post the card to you before we leave.

You have 48 hours to claim the card and I hope you will like it. Please let me know when it arrives with you.

The next post will be the Tuesday Tutorial and I think you will like it

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - 070

Hi Everybody,

So here we are with FF card 70 and it has gone so quickly.

For this weeks card I have gone back to one that was featured in a Tuesday Tutorial

I used Labels Thirty Four  along with the matching Decorative Labels  and the embossing folder

The flowers, centre pieces and the Dove are all from Wild Orchid Crafts  and are things I love to add to my designs.

The ribbon is from Mei Flower  It is a soft satin that ties so easily into a pretty bow

If this is a card that you would like to have then join the group of followers and leave me a comment.

From those comment a name will be chosen at random and the winner announced in tomorrow Blog post.   You will have 48 hours to claim the card so please pop back to check that it is you.

Please Note ...

There won't be a Friday Freebie for the next three weeks as I am going on holiday and won't be here to post them  off to you. But I will have a treat when I return back home

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card Class ...

Hi Everybody,

The ladies in my card class have been coming to me now for  over a year  now and they have both come so far.  We get on very well and I think we all look forward to our Wednesday sessions.

I try to do something a little different each time they are here and this is one of the weeks when we tried some water coloring.

We had to do some preparation in advance so that everything was ready to start

We stayed with the same colors for both ladies but they chose different dies to create the layers

These are Marys' Cards and on one of them she chose to accentuate the green with some pretty ribbon

 These are Brendas' card and she has chosen the blue ribbon for hers

All are A2 sized cards and although similar you can see some of the changes that they have both made.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Craft Foam Hearts

Hi Everybody,


This is a card that is part of my commitment to Craft Stash and  is using their own brand of Apple Blossom dies. This one is the Ornate Heart

To create this I have have cut the heart twice with peach colored Craft foam that I bought from Hobbycraft

Once the detailed hearts have been cut I have cut the solid die in white card and layered the two together

These I have added with foam tape to raise them up and they have then been layered onto an embossed panel

The layers have been wrapped with lace and ribbon and a floral centre added to the knot.

Craft foam is nothing new and it is not expensive but it can give you some really pretty results for your cards

If you managed to join me on Create & Craft I would like to say thank you .... And I am back on again at 4 pm and 7pm with the One Day Wonder and some pretty Sapphire dies

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx